The main party backing President Pervez Musharraf has admitted defeat in Pakistan's elections, BBC reported Tuesday.

The two main opposition parties, the PPP of late PM Benazir Bhutto and the PML-N, led by another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, already have a clear majority and if they form a coalition with a two-thirds of the seats in parliament they could impeach Mr. Musharraf.

Both formations so far appear to have won 139 seats, securing more than half of the 272-seat parliament.

The full scale of the defeat inflicted on the pro-Musharraf PML-Q will become clearer later in the day when more results come in.

Leaders of both opposition parties had earlier warned the polls would be rigged in favour of the government.

"The result will be the voice of the nation and whosoever wins we should accept it - that includes myself," said Mr Musharraf.

He seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

International pressure forced him to step down as army chief last year and the parliamentary election has been viewed as a key milestone along Pakistan's path from military to civilian rule.

The vote has been preceded by months of violence, including the suicide attack that killed PPP leader, Benazir Bhutto, in December. The poll has even been delayed after her assassination.

At least 20 people are reported to have died in election-day violence, with the PPP reporting 15 of its members killed.

Fears of violence had dissuaded many of the country's 80 million eligible voters from leaving their homes, and voter turnout was estimated to be less than 40%.

Close to half a million security personnel, including about 80,000 soldiers, had been deployed to quell any outbreak of violence.

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